A real mixed bag. Some of it is absolutely brilliant and breathtaking, mostly during the final hour or so. But a great deal of it is incredibly annoying and tiresome, which makes this a hard film to grade. The direction by Julie Taymor is wonderful and innovative, and there are some sequences which are truly some of the most memorable scenes in any recent movie musical. The performances are also pretty good, especially from Evan Rachel Wood - who also has a great voice and performs the songs well. The music is obviously classic. So what's wrong here? The real problem is that in trying to put as many Beatles songs as possible into the film, Taymor has forgotten one of the most crucial aspects of a successful film - an involving story. The treatment of the '60s is paper-thin and it is almost comical that she treats Jude's personal struggle as more important than the war in Vietnam. Many of the characters are also underdeveloped, including many of the hippie bohemians that live with lovebirds Jude and Lucy. Another big problem here is that a great deal of the time the songs seem completely out-of-place. A great example occurs close to the beginning of the film, when a random character is introduced for no other purpose than to sing "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," and the way the scene is done makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, involving a cheerleading squad. The character is later only seen in a few other scenes and has no real purpose throughout the course of the film. Another ridiculous sequence features "She's So Heavy," and the way the song is interpreted can only be described as mind-numbingly idiotic. Director Baz Luhrmann perfectly integrated previously released songs into his film Moulin Rouge, and each one of them served a purpose in moving the story forward. Taymor should have definitely taken a cue from him in this regard. I'd say this is definitely worth seeing, but it's a very strange and often off-putting experience. Taymor's visual style is phenomenal and the acting is pretty good, but you'll likely leave the theater feeling the same way I did. This movie musical is good, but lacking the spark and character development to truly make it great.

B-

Whole lot less than the sum of it's parts.

Many beautifully artistic renderings of Beatles songs in cinematography, unfortunately not well bridged by the Beatlesque linking story amongst the main characters. I kept waiting for the main story to come together, but no such luck. Nonetheless, the individual songs were exquisitely produced high budget music videos, that if viewed alone are touchingly interpreted.

But then again, I've been pretty immersed in the Beatles now and then over the years, and while not a crazed fanboy, am pretty darn familiar with their catalogue. If you haven't listened to their White Album a hundred times, you may find yourself in over your head at times in this movie. This is a Beatles Interpretive Doctoral Study - - in historical, thematic, and emotional context no less.

...and I also suggest that anyone who truly wishes to grasp the depth of Julie Taymor's vision in Across the Universe goes immediately and watches her earlier movie Titus - - a crushingly tragic interpretation of one of Shakespeare's least seen plays starring Anthony Hopkins in a soul searing performance screaming face down into the dirt...

Yup, uh-huh, gulp... I don't know who the audience is goin' be for this behemoth. It's needlessly uninvolving complex storyline fails even the ardent suitor...

5 out of 5.

This film is lucky that it did so well in limited release, because once it goes wide I have a very bad feeling about how audiences are going to react to it.

And both Titus and Frida are better films than this as well.

For whatever reason, this film has grown on me a lot upon reflection. I'm upping my grade to a B+.

Let's be honest, there's very few people on the board who are as kind to movies as you are. Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing! Hell I wish I could be consistently impressed with 95% of the movies I see, but c'mon now.

I'm not that generous I just use a different kind of grading system than others (usually on a -/10 scale when I put together my list). Looking at it that way I've only given around 11 films a 9/10 or higher in 2007 ;) For me, anything below a B-, or 7/10, isn't very good. I've had about 35 films out of the 106 I've seen so far this year fall below that mark I do admit that I'm more generous than most though.

Yeah! That thompsomcory's ratings are wack!!!

Don't sweat it man, there's nothing wrong with being KJ's most likely to be quoted in a movie's marketing campaign.

This is probably the most frustrating movie of the year so far. There are a few moments/numbers that are somewhat brilliant and work really well. However, most of the movie is painfully trite and even unintentionally funny. In addition, the unacceptable 133-minute running time is very much noticed. The plot, characters, and screenplay are all boring and uninteresting. Everyone has seen this story a million times, and the characters of Jude and Lucy are bland and one-dimensional. Both Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood sing better than they act in this film, which is especially surprising in the case of accomplished actress Wood. Director Julie Taymor goes all-out in making this a visual bonanza, with mixed success. As I said, some of the film's sequences are brilliant (I very much enjoyed the "strawberry" sequence and the performance of "Hey Jude" at the end), but just as many are disastrous and icky, such as the laughable "cheerleader" performance of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" at the beginning of the film (and don't even get me started on the hideous "I Want You" number with a dancing Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty being carried, literally, by draftees). Much of The Beatles' music is oddly selected; some work with the film's narrative and others seem to be included for no purpose other than having more Beatles music. This is a disappointing, tedious affair that could have been much better and more entertaining. Instead, it feels workmanlike. C

Yeah, I keep going back and forth with ratings on this one. It's back down to a B for now

I understand completely what you mean about it being frustrating. A few moments are BRILLIANT and some of my favorite movie moments of the year so far. But "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and the character of Prudence...

Had potential but it was just meh. I mean, a movie full of beatles music should leave you wowed and fully satisfied, but this one just didn't. C+

A-, A visually stimulating and creatively stylish triute to the universal feelings and experience of The Beatles era. I don't get how this brillant film is so dumped on by some of you while Hairspray is one of the most praised of the year..

I quite liked it. A beautiful and sometimes bizarre portrait of the youth in the 60s fueled by the wonderful music of the Beatles. True, there were a few moments that didn't quite work for me ("I Want You" sung by Uncle Sam, the damn annoying and pointless rendition of "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite") but the rest of it was brilliant. "Dear Prudence", "Hey Jude", "All You Need Is Love", "Because," and a few others I'm forgetting worked beautifully. Jim Sturgess as Jude took my breath away, and the rest of the cast was pretty damn good too. And I actually liked the character of Prudence, and even enjoyed her first scene on the football field. One slightly bothersome point for me was Bono as the Ken Kesey character, for the following reasons: 1. Bono in general annoys me for some reason, 2. I feel the movie failed to capture Kesey's essence; a poor portrayal of a truly amazing character.

Otherwise, slightly long, but I honestly could've sat through another hour of this cast performing Beatles music. Recommended for fans of the Beatles and those interested in the 60s.

A-


Sidenote: This struck me as a movie that could be highly entertaining if viewed under the influence of cannabis.

"Actually"? "Even"?

That was the best sequence in the movie!

I don't know about "best sequence," but like I said, I did enjoy it. My comment was partly in response to thomspsoncory and Libs' criticisms, and partly in response to my friends' snickers during the football scene.

Man, this film had the most random cameos: Bono, Eddie Izzard, Salma Hayek, Joe Cocker (!!!!)

I thought it was tremendously entertaining, and was impressed by both the male leads. It may not be better than Hairspray, but wow for the visuals, although it doesn't quite top Titus there. I'm very interested in seeing Julie Taymor's original cut before Joe Roth made it more audience friendly, because unfortunately it kinda shows.

The first hour kinda dragged...to me it seemed clear that they worked from the end up when crafting the film, since the beginning had the most uninspired, meh moments. Once everyone gets to New York it finally takes off. I understand why some love it and some hate it, and I fall in between the two categories. A little too schizophrenic for its own good, and some of the fat could have been trimmed, especially the subplot with the guitarist & the landlady. I know Prudence's existence was random and sometimes bothersome, but damn if her I Wanna Hold Your Hand sequence is one of the most standout moments, especially of the first half. I thought Wood was very effective in her role, and her counterpart (the name escapes me...) fit right in, but there was nothing really remarkable about him. Good enough sure, but kinda bland.

When this movie is on, it's really on, and producing some of the most whacked-out, memorable scenes of the year. If only Taymor had spent more time in the editing room, we could have had a much tighter, satisfying film... plot be damned. For what it is now, it's a fun romp that tugs at the heartstrings in a predictable yet believable way now & then, but it just got a little too carried away with itself. Definitely worth catching though - B+

To me, the film was absolutely perfect and lived up to the expectations that I had for it. The performances were quite good, the direction and everything was phenomenal, as were the majority of the musical numbers (I don't know why everyone here is hating "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", I thought that number was quite good). I'd definitely recommend it, and it's the second best film of the year for me.

10/10 (A+)

Everyone?

3 out of 5 of those who have commented on the I Wanna Hold Your Hand sequence in this thread enjoyed it...





I found it heart-stoppingly good!

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (2007)

The trailer for "Across the Universe" blew me away. I watched it several times in anticipation of what seemed to be an amazing moviegoing experience. I hoped with all my heart that I wasn't going to be letdown. But then once it was released the reviews ended up being mixed. For every review singing its praises there was another one that was less-than-favorable. Audiences, however, seemed to be enjoying it more than professional critics. Still, the reviews lowered my expectations so much that what was once a "must see" on the big screen became one I'd pretty much become fine with skipping until DVD. I figured it was unlikely I wouldn't be disappointed by it.

With my expectations lowered quite a bit, I'm extremely pleased to declare that at this point it was more than I could have hoped for. It's not without its flaws, but they don't matter at all when you look at the big picture. The movie is such an amazing, unique experience that had me smiling the whole time. The fact that it's light on plot ends up meaning next to nothing. The basic story was perfectly fitting for a musical. While watching this movie I experienced a high without the aid of any drugs. The music is so delightful and the cinematography is such a treat for the eyes and imagination. This was just a seriously great time and should easily be the most fun I've had at the movies all year. It would have been a shame for me to miss it and I'm so thankful I didn't. The insanely trippy sequences during the numbers "I Am the Walrus" and "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite" are incredibly cool. The visuals during "Strawberry Fields Forever" are almost breathtakingly beautiful. The song "I Want to Hold Your Hand," sung by the lesbian character about wanting to hold hands with a fellow cheerleader, is beautiful and the lesbian angle gives it extra meaning. There are just so many great musical numbers that picking a favorite is not an easy task. I loved pretty much all of them. But if I had to it would be "I've Just Seen a Face." Jim Sturgess looks especially adorable during this song and it's just a lot of fun. "I Want You" was cool and clever (the only part I was a tad iffy on was the "She's So Heavy" part). "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" is another I loved. They did such an impressive job re-creating these songs and fitting them into the movie.

Jim Sturgess was great as Jude. He was so beautiful and charming. The same goes for Evan Rachel Wood as Lucy. Also very likable was Joe Anderson as Max. I found the whole cast great and all did a more-than-passable job of singing.

"Across The Universe" is simply amazing and is instantly my favorite musical movie and currently my favorite movie of the year. I had an absolute blast with it. The movie looks great, sounds great, and gives off an infectious sense of fun that is sure to get to you. I cannot wait until I can see it again. Until then I'll just have to settle for listening to the soundtrack non-stop. I feel lucky to have had the chance to see this on the big screen. We need more musicals like this.

Grade: 9/10 (A)

very up and down film but the good does out weight the bad though. Too slow at times and just way too damn bizarre other times. Music kicked ass and the direction was awesome

B-

This just isn't as enjoyable on DVD. It was obvious it wouldn't be, but it's still too bad. I hate when movies are this amazing experience on the big screen and then you watch them when they come out on DVD and it can't even compare. So many movies just don't feel the same anymore when watching them at home. Though some are better suited for DVD. This definitely isn't one of them. I feel sorry for people who missed it in theaters. Or maybe they're lucky as they won't know what they were missing, and I do .

I can't picture this being any better in a theater. It's showy and as a movie it's a complete failure. As a series of music videos it sometimes makes connections.

Too commercial to be abstract.